Truck Busted with 2,000 Pounds of Illegal Crawfish in Michigan

Anything involving crawfish means a good time to folks in Louisiana, but to Michigan officials, mudbugs aren't welcomed.

In what's described as the "largest aquatic invasive species seizure ever by the Michigan DNR", on July 13, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources was notified by U.S. Customs of a commercial hauler transporting "red swamp crayfish". Officials confiscated 55 sacks of live crawfish, weighing 2,000 pounds.

Sidenote: I could eat my weight in crawfish, but I digress because my weight is not on trial.

The truck was stopped from leaving the country because crawfish are prohibited in Michigan and Canada. Why would they deny the delicious morsels, you ask? It's because "they burrow and create shoreline erosion, creating instability. Additionally, they compete with native crayfish, reducing the amount of food and habitat available for amphibians, invertebrates and juvenile fish", said the DNR website.

The driver, who didn't have proper documentation for possessing crawfish, told officials the truck originated from Canada and made stops in Maryland and Arkansas to pick up cargo before his attempt at returning to Canada. While authorities continue their investigation, it's unknown if any of the crawfish were obtained or sold in Michigan.